Hopscotch Top Creators: SilverSong

Please meet this week’s Hopscotch top creator — SilverSong. Current Hopscotch forum curator, awesome digital artist, and one of the kindest Hopscotch community advocates, they help with creating official projects-challenges and judge Hopscotch coding competitions. Here are some of their projects:

Let’s see what they have to say about their experience with Hopscotch:

Hopscotch: Can you tell us about your first experience with Hopscotch? How did you learn about it?

SilverSong: I was looking for a coding app in the store, and I saw this app called Hopscotch. I loved the game with the chalks etc. when I was younger, so I was like “huh this seems cool, lemme try it!” and I immediately just loved it. Not only was it an app that was easy to use, but really fun too. It seemed different to all the other apps out there for block coding, and that magic still captivates me today.

Hopscotch: What do you like best about Hopscotch?

SilverSong: I can’t give you a proper answer! I love every element, from the levels of creativity to the community itself. Your programming levels don’t matter, only your creativity. There’s so much you can create in the app using such seemingly simple blocks, whether it be a song to a mashup, a small pixel art to an entire painting, an escape room to a whole series of them, the possibilities are endless. There are even ways to draw on the app, encouraging coding and drawing in one. The best part? No matter what you do, the community is super supportive. There are so many different types of projects out there, and people who all use the app. They’re all super supportive, in terms of getting things done, and helping you when you need it. It’s also super fun to have the opportunity to collaborate with them on the forum. I love the diverse range of projects that I see in my following tab.

Hopscotch: What helped you the most in learning to code in Hopscotch?

SilverSong: The videos were super helpful! Also the community haha, I definitely wouldn’t be able to learn without them. Most of it is just me, hence why my projects aren’t that advanced, but definitely reaching out when needed. I also like to look through other people’s projects from time to time, to get some inspiration, and even their code — with credit!

Hopscotch: Are there Hopscotch creators that inspire you?

SilverSong: Yeah — all the creators. I love all of the projects and users, because some choose to make a consistent type and excel in it, while others go all out in different directions and just code the most amazing things. I can’t believe how far people come overtime, it’s crazy actually. Their projects are just so so amazing, and I love them. These creators are gonna be the next Bill Gates/Steve Job/Elon Musk, just give it a couple of decades :)

I do owe a lot to certain people who have been there for me since pretty much the beginning of my coding journey, including Lisa1045, Flame (FearlessPhoenix), tankt2016, Nobody, GweTV, Mindcool24, RCC (TheDeliciousOrange), Tem tem (temm), Stylishpoopemoji33. Thank you all for being there for me, and constantly inspiring me the way y’all do. As for certain creators? this one is hard, but -Madi-, t1, FearlessPhoenix, Fundardo, William04GamerA, Serenity, PumpkinGirl, TheCMStudios, Petrichor, Dylan329, tankt2016, nobody, GweTV, FoodDelivery, magmaPOP, Awesome_E! They’ve really inspired me over the years, and so thanks y’all :)

Hopscotch: What is a project you made that you are really proud of?

SilverSong: Ohh this is hard. Haha probably my “Our actions define us”:

When I saw this pixel art template, it just spoke to me. Both of those mean an incredible lot to me, the fact that everyone, regardless of who they are matters, and deserves the equal rights they strive for. You can never go wrong with helping someone fight for something you both believe in, especially if it’ll help benefit the world for the better. Sometimes even the simplest actions can contribute to such a global change, which is something I hope we’ll be able to see in the near future. A world where regardless of who you are, you’re treated the same as the next person, and the next. Because that’s the one that everyone deserved to live in.

Hopscotch: What advice would you give to kids just starting out in Hopscotch?

SilverSong: Don’t be afraid to reach out! Recently, I’ve seen so many people making beta-testing topics and it’s a great thing. Because not only will getting advice help with the specific project, but you always do better in a team. “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

The community is so supportive, and there are so many creators, if you’re ever having any troubles please do let someone know — there must be a fix! And also remember, you may learn something from them, which you may carry forward into your real life too.

Also believe in yourself! You can do this, no matter if you joined Hopscotch one day or one year ago, we’re all at different levels, and all like to code different things. It can be down heartening if a project that you worked so hard on doesn’t get the recognition it deserves in your opinion, eg. not getting on a channel — so reach out! Perhaps ask someone for their advice, and their constructive criticism. It can help so much, let me tell you. There’s always so much for you to try out, if you don’t like coding shape art and you prefer drawing, perhaps code an interactive art pad instead! Use the endless opportunities the app provides to your advantage. It’ll really help, I promise. You can do this, I believe in you! “Believe in yourself and you’re halfway there.” Remember that.

Hopscotch: Awesome, thank you SilverSong!

If you enjoyed this interview, come back for more interesting and useful articles next week!

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